Relocation to HCMC

Wow, congratulations on your karate and aikido achievements. Should you get up to Nha Trang, the aikido club there will make you most welcome.

Thank you...!

Hopefully we will meet in the future.

Tom

Aloha,
   Good luck with your move to Vietnam. I moved here from the Big Island in January 2016. It was quite a difference from living the last 7 years in small-town Hilo, but I adapted quickly to HMC and I'm happily married to a wonderful Vietnamese lady.
   I teach English and am not by any means an expert in the field of auto sales so you can take my advice with a grain of salt but from my observations, I do not think the car business will go over very well here and my wife seems to agree. She says the government has just opened up the market for new car sales and a lot of the used car dealers are challenged now. Also, the government is constantly changing the rules and making things especially hard, and expensive, for those in markets that require them to keep a lot of stock on hand. From my perspective, the infrastructure here in Vietnam is simply not set-up for cars. Narrow roads and congested traffic make maneuvering cars through the streets very challenging and time-consuming.
   For what it is worth, my wife works in Food and Beverage for an international bar/restaurant and says they have a very hard time finding suppliers for imported ingredients. If you have money to invest and want to try something different you might consider importing western food supplies. Government figures show an increase of 15% in foreigners who are making Vietnam their new home ... all those foreigners are going to be missing their food from back home.
   Okay, I've said enough. I hope some of it helps you. Have a great day.

Thank you for the info re the car biz.  My brief research confirms all you said.

Re the food import idea >>> does your wife need a source of product that she's unable to find?

I know zero about the food biz, but can pursue if I have more details of what her company needs

Hello,

   While we appreciate your kindness and generosity, my wife actually worked as the Chief Accountant and is not properly licensed to deal with food and beverage. Also, she just accepted a position with another company so she has put in her notice at this company.

   We were just throwing out a suggestion for you to consider in general but do appreciate your willingness to help.

   Have a great day.

Hello,

   While we appreciate your kindness and generosity, my wife actually worked as the Chief Accountant and is not properly licensed to deal with food and beverage. Also, she just accepted a position with another company so she has put in her notice at this company.

   We were just throwing out a suggestion for you to consider in general but do appreciate your willingness to help.

   Have a great day.

Despite "infrastructure here in Vietnam simply not set-up for cars" the middle class wants cars; sales quadrupled in 10 years. At the end of this year, import duties for new cars from Thailand and Malaysia go to zero, sales will explode next year. Meanwhile, master plans for Hanoi and Saigon are to close downtowns to motorbikes which are far more efficient! If you've been to car cities like Jakarta, Manila, and Bangkok, see the future for roads here.

10 year chart
2018 sales down, waiting for 30% duty to vanish
No duty because of TPP globalization changes here

I'm living off An Duong Vuong in D5 at the moment, and have found out it is the street for "high-line" used car dealers and auto parts. You don't see them rolling in traffic often though.